


The Light in Perfection

by Dreaming_of_a_Bright_Sky



Series: Light in the Dark [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It, Force Visions, M/M, Pre-Slash, force ghost, time travel but not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 04:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4087195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreaming_of_a_Bright_Sky/pseuds/Dreaming_of_a_Bright_Sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the Galaxy headed on a path leading straight into Darkness, two Jedi are given the chance to prevent it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A vision that changes the galaxy

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU. It's been a research heavy fic, and I've tried to remain as true to Star Wars facts and canon as possible. However, I do change things. Any errors are my own and/or are due to this being an alternate universe, and therefore different.
> 
> This story and pairing took root in my brain and while I very much enjoy Padme/Anakin, this plot bunny refused to be shaken loose. I really didn't want to even touch this pairing, because it's a really difficult one to make realistically come together. There are challenges not just due to the age difference; but in taking Obi-Wan from a person who follows the rules religiously to someone who would break code and form an attachment.
> 
> Also, the Jedi council and Mace Windu are not portrayed as infallible, or even necessarily good. Despite their training and the image they try to portray, they are all flawed individuals and their decisions are not always right. 
> 
> There are several references to quotes taken from Mathew Stover's novels. I haven't quoted directly, but I wanted to give credit and note that. I've also used some bits of dialog taken from the movies and tv shows.
> 
> Finally: I do not own Star Wars nor am I making any money from this. I'm just temporarily playing in that world.

*** *** ***

"We cut all ties to family when we become Jedi. You know this, Skywalker.”

    Anakin's anger and fear was a palpable presence in the council chambers. Obi-Wan spoke, trying to ease the tension, “Master Windu, if somebody could be sent to check in on Shmi Skywalker...”

     Windu cut in, “What proof is there that these dreams are force visions? You're wasting our time with this matter, Obi-Wan. As Skywalker's Master, this should have already been settled. Why have you brought this before the council? ”

   Before the Jedi could answer, the Force surged. All of the council members present felt it clearly, and Anakin's eyes rolled back in his head as he dropped to the floor. Simultaneously, Obi-Wan felt a tremendous pressure through their bond that brought him to his knees. He reached blindly for his Padawan. As his hand finally found Anakin's leg and they touched, the force surged again, heavy in its intensity. Obi-Wan lost consciousness then, hand still on Anakin.

 

    In that moment, a figure with a hazy glow of Force surrounding him appeared. They were all shocked to see Qui Gon Jinn, a Jedi long dead.

    “How is this possible?” Master Gallia queried. 

     Qui Gon answered as honestly as he could, as certain truths and facts must remain secret. “I am both one with the Force, yet separate.”

   “ _This is a trick of some sort_ ,” Ki-Adi-Mundi’s voice rang out in the mind channel the Masters used.

   Plo Koon’s voice was calm and level,” _We should not be hasty. We should see what comes of this_.”

   “ _Qui Gon has always defied the will of the Council. That he is standing here despite his death is highly suspicious. Only the Dark has sought out eternal life._ ”

   Adi Gallia grew agitated. “ _That is a very strong accusation, Master Windu. Qui Gon was a venerable Jedi. There was never an indication he leaned towards the dark_!”

  Mace pointed at Qui Gon’s apparition, “ _Then what is this?_ ”

   Yoda studied the Force presence, “ _No darkness do I sense.”_

  “I come through the Will of the Force, not the Dark side. There are things you need to hear.” 

   The council all took note that Master Jinn had evidently been aware of everything they said to each other mentally. 

  “So what is it you think we need to hear?” Windu broke the silence.

   Qui Gon smiled grimly. “You are one of the many threads that may push Anakin to the dark.”

   Master Windu leaned forward. “What do you mean by that? I treat him as I would any other Jedi.”

   “Do you really believe that, Mace? Do you treat all the Padawans with as much suspicion and doubt as you have Anakin?”

   “He is Dark! He’s got too much anger and aggression to be a Jedi.”

   “You’re convinced he’s Dark and treated him as such. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.” Qui Gon focused on Yoda. “From the moment that boy was brought here, we've treated him unfairly.”

   “Tell me how you feel that is so, Master Jinn.”

   He bowed slightly at the other Master who had spoken and continued. “He was brought before you as a nine year old slave. You told him he was too afraid.” Qui Gon nodded at his old Master. “And he was. I agree, but that’s expected for a normal child. You judged him based on what you’d have expected of a trained youngling.

   “His needs differed. He required more affection and praise. Anakin eventually became rebellious when all his best efforts only ended in criticism. Even children raised from infancy to be Jedi would rebel at constantly being picked apart.”

 “A good job, Obi-Wan did. A good master he is. ”

   The Force ghost closed his eyes briefly. “Many mistakes were made, Master. Some were my Padawan’s. Some were Anakin's, and another was mine. I should not have asked him to train Anakin as I did. I left him no choice. Far better to have let Anakin spend some time with the younglings, let Obi-Wan heal and get used to his role of a Jedi Knight, and then in a few years he could have taken Anakin as his padawan. I pushed him into that. I allowed my urgency concerning Anakin to taint all that would come after.”

   “My responsibility, as well. Easy to look back and see mistakes, it is.”

   “Too true, Master.”  Straightening his shoulders, Qui Gong looked at each and every council member. “The Force itself conceived Anakin. He **is** the Chosen One.  We have failed him, and it will lead to our destruction if you don't listen to the will of the Force.  You have a chance to fix this, and it’s not going to be by adhering to the old ways. If he falls, we all fall with him.”

   Then he was gone, leaving silence in his wake.

  

  All attempts to touch or rouse Anakin and Obi-Wan resulted in the person being forcibly pushed away. As the hours passed, the council members took breaks to eat and refresh themselves. None seemed to want to be gone long, though. Jedi healers were on hand for when the pair woke up. They too, were caught up in the expectant stillness.

 

  Between one heartbeat and the next, the almost stifling sense of the Force faded.  Their awakening was almost anti-climactic: they both inhaled deeply and blinked awake. Both men turned their heads and looked at each other simultaneously, and while no words were spoken either verbally or mentally, whole worlds of meaning were spoken through their gaze. Finally Obi-Wan nodded, and Anakin smiled.

   He got to his feet and held a hand to Obi-Wan, “Want some help up, old man?”

   His Master could only smile, and accepted the hand. “Not so old as I was, Anakin.”

   The council had watched the by-play silently. Master Yoda tipped his head. “Much has changed, it has.”

    Obi-Wan bowed. “It has, Master. I realize that the council wants, and needs, to know what we saw. However, we have someplace we urgently need to be.”  He scanned the room, thinking on how many would have been lost. Might still be lost... Shaking himself out of the thought he came back to what was at hand. “In two days...”

   “One, Master. I'm pretty sure a day has passed.”

   “So long?”  Seeing his friend nod, he moved on. “Well, then. In a day, Senator Padme Amadala will face an assassination attempt on Coruscant. An explosive device will be placed so that it blows up as they are disembarking. Her decoy, handmaiden, and several guards will be killed.  Another attempt will be made later. Two kouhuns will be placed in her bedroom by her courier bot. As hard as it will be for the Jedi council to accept who she thinks is behind the assassination... Believe it.”

    Master Plo Koon asks, “Where are you going off to? You mentioned it's urgent, but is it so urgent that you cannot explain?”

   The two Jedi looked at each other and Anakin stepped forward. “It is. We're seeking to prevent the first major event that led me to the dark side.” Anakin spoke of what they had seen as if it were fact. “In my grief and rage, I ended up slaughtering an entire tusken village. My mother is there, now, being tortured. She holds out for two more weeks, calling out to me, and believing that I'll come for her.”

   A voice rang out, “You cannot! This is attachment, and it is forbidden. Her life, or death, is not your concern anymore.”

   Anakin wasn't sure who spoke. It wasn't a councilor he was familiar enough with to recognize the voice. “With all due respect, Master, it is my concern. Unlike many here, I wasn't raised in the creche. My mother was my world until the day Master Jinn brought me here. Even if that wasn't enough, her death and my reaction is what started my descent into darkness. That should be ALL of our concern because every Jedi save Obi-Wan and Yoda end up dead.” In words eerily similar to Qui Gon's, Anakin pronounces, “If I fall to Darkness, the Jedi fall too.”

   Yoda banged his walking stick on the floor, interrupting several questions. “We have all seen the Force at work here. Let us allow this. Tell us in full, after, they shall.” He waves at one of the Jedi healers. “Go with them, you will.”

   “Thank you, Master.” Anakin's relief was evident, and so was Obi-Wan's.

   Yoda nodded at the pair. He sighed, knowing the commotion that was about to start as soon as the council doors shut.

 

***   ***   ***

 

    The Jedi healer drew alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan as they walked. “It would help me to know what injuries you are anticipating.”

   Anakin drew upon his memories. “She had many wounds, so probably infection. She definitely seemed dehydrated, and I have no idea if they’ve been feeding her.”

   “Her husband, Cliegg, lost a leg.”

   Anakin had mostly forgotten that, but Obi-Wan was right.

   The healer thought a moment. “Your ship doesn't have a bacta tank, does it? Hm. I'll requisition one of those and have it loaded.”

   Obi-Wan made an amused sound. “If the future plays out anything like it did in our vision, you may want to just leave it there.”

   With a glance at the older Jedi the healer snarked, “I haven't forgotten your **day long** , intense vision. I'll be examining both of you enroute.”  As she came to the corridor leading to the healer's wing, she shot back over her shoulder, “My name's Kritha, by the way, and you'd better not take off before I get to the ship!”

 

***   ***   ***

 

  Mace Window watched the two Jedi walk away, and with a wave of his hand shut and sealed the door. “I think it’s clear that something needs to be done about Skywalker. I always felt that it was a mistake to train him. His emotions are too volatile. He admits that he saw himself becomes dark.”

  “Full picture, we have not. Wait, we must.”

   “I think it's clear that the Force is directly acting on his behalf. Would you have us ignore that, Master Windu?”

   “Master Gallia, he's stated that he went to the Dark side and destroyed us all!”

   Shaak Ti's gentle voice carried through the room, “And he is going now to prevent that from happening. The Force is guiding us. We must listen.”

   “Hmmm. Yes. Vision, this was. Rare. Very rare.” Yoda's face crinkled in thought. “Forget about the Senator, we must not. Use it as a test. Send a team to Coruscant and protect the Senator, we will.”

   That was about the only thing the council agreed upon that day.

 

***   ***   ***


	2. Saving what once was lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future begins to change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The healer just kind of became her own person, rather than a random character. *shrugs*

 ***   ***   ***

   Kritha pounced on Obi-Wan first, since Anakin was setting the course for their trip. What she found baffled her, and her forehead was creased in thought as Anakin walked in. “Is Obi-Wan okay?”

   “Oh!” The healer had been so lost on thought that she never heard the Jedi, and he startled her a bit. “Yes, he's fine. It's just that I'm getting...residue...or echoes?”

  Anakin took a seat near his Master, as the older Jedi asked, “Can you explain further?”

  “Sure. For example, as I run my senses over this area I detect what would have been a fatal wound. Only there's no scar physically, and there isn't an actual injury, but my senses tell me there was one.” She caught the flinch Padawan Skywalker made when she waved in the area near Obi-Wan's neck and shoulder. “There was an injury, wasn't there? But not here and now. In the vision.”

  Anakin's body ran with tension. “Yes.”

  Kritha examined the “echo” further.  “It's clean. Cauterized, basically. If I were in the field and sensing this, I'd say lightsaber. It doesn't have the piercing quality of an energy blast.”

  Obi-Wan gently pulled her hand away from his neck. “Yes, you are correct. You said I'm fine, other than the echoes you sense?”

  “Some fatigue, mild dehydration, but nothing a glass of water and a good night's sleep can't fix.”

  The Jedi smiled. “Good. How about you check over Anakin and then we can get some rest?”

  Kritha obviously knew she was being diverted, but allowed it. They watched her eyes get big as she scanned Anakin. Finally she blurted out, “What in the bantha spawn happened to you!? You weren't joking about needing a bacta tank, were you?”

  “Only half joking. It would have come in handy.” 

  “I can see that. Padawan Skywalker has echoes everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. I don't see how he survived with this kind of damage.”

  Anakin's face twisted, and Obi-Wan watched as he wrestled with his emotions to calm himself down. Kritha backed up, eyes wide.  The Jedi Knight spoke softly, “I did much of that, unfortunately.”

  Anakin's hands clenched. His eyes were still raging with turmoil, but his voice was flat. “I became a Sith. I killed you. I destroyed whole worlds. You should have killed me, Obi-Wan. It would have been better.”

    He stalked out the room, leaving Kritha nervously eying Obi-Wan. The older Jedi could only seek to reassure her. “It's not your fault.” He patted her shoulder and left.

 

***   ***   ***

   It was a small ship and they shared quarters. He knew where Anakin would be. He found him in their rooms, tinkering on some small project. In reality, it had only been a couple of weeks since they'd last been on the ship, but it felt like decades. Obi-Wan sat and waited.

  Eventually Anakin burst out, “It was a vision! We didn't really live it, but it feels so real. Like I'm still Darth Vader, but I'm not. Not yet.” It looked like he was about to throw the bot, but he set it down instead. “I haven't seen Padme in ten years, yet I remember loving her. Marrying her.” His voice grew soft, “Killing her. Killing you.”

   “That won't happen now, Ani. And the sense that you're both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader will fade. The life from that vision will be more distant the further you get from that version of the future.”

  Anakin and Obi-Wan both spun around at the voice.

  “Qui Gon!”

  “Master!”

   The glowing Jedi stood by the wall. “You were immersed in the vision to such a degree that in a way, you really lived those lives.”

   “I'd prefer not to relive it, Master.” 

  “The force has given you a chance to fix this for a reason.” Qui Gon's fond gaze fell upon his former Padawan. “I think my rebelliousness against the council influenced you to swing the other way. You've become too inflexible, too mindful of the rules, and have stopped listening to what is _right_. The Order, and the Council, has lost touch with the will of the Force. ”

   “I had a lot of time as 'Old Ben' to think on where we went wrong. I know that I failed Anakin on so many levels.” He glanced at his Padawan. “I didn't listen to what he needed and eventually, he shut me out. He turned to Palpatine because he knew he couldn't turn to me.”

  Anakin took a deep breath. “I…” He sighed. “I made bad choices, Master.”

     Master Jinn moved into the room, making it easier for the pair to see him. “It’s like pieces of a puzzle. One or two pieces and you don’t have a picture. Start collecting them all, putting them all together, and the image comes together. Many pieces went into creating what you became. You did make bad choices. We all did.”

   Nothing else was said. All you could hear was the sounds of the ship. After a time, Qui Gon spoke into the quiet, “The code has been changed by the council to suit their needs. It's been changed and added to until there's little resemblance to what it once was. The original wording is there in our histories: _Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.”_

 Anakin knew, of course, that the Code had changed over time. Jedi were encouraged to study the Order's history. This, however, was a startling revelation. “I've never heard of this version.”

 “You wouldn't have. It's been buried deeply and only some of the scholars in EduCorp have seen it. It didn't suit the needs of the council. They were _afraid_. They were afraid of the dark growing, and so they sought to deny emotion. Just as the council was afraid of a nine year old boy and what he might become. So rather than see what was in front of their eyes, they tried to deny him. When they couldn't do that, they undermined him. That helped lead you to your fall.”

  Anakin picked up the broken bot. “I researched it as Vader. They didn't always have an age restriction on training Jedi.”

   “No. Our decision to start testing for force sensitive infants and raising them as Jedi was quite unpopular. I'd like to say that all the parents were given a choice, but that wasn't always the case.”

   “Palpatine wasn't totally wrong, you know.” Anakin answered Qui Gon, and waved in his direction with his screw driver. “It's indoctrination. Take babies and make them into emotionless drones to serve the Order.”

   “In every good lie there is a grain of truth. That's what makes it so compelling, Ani. It's one way of looking at it, but it's been twisted. It wasn't that calculated. Children were easier to train. They learn faster. It was easier to instill the mental skills needed to safely harness the power of the Force in children. It can be done in adults, but the older you are, the more you have to unlearn.”

   “Are you really going to tell me that the Order doesn't want us to be emotionless?”

  Obi-Wan felt vaguely disconnected at the moment. He was currently watching his dead mentor chat with his Padawan, who had become a Dark Lord in a life they sort of lived. He was in a haze as he waited for Qui Gon's answer.

  “The Council made rules out of fear and during times of war that became part of the code. We're not emotionless. We were never meant to be so, though I can't deny that's the basic aim now. We've lost sight of our greatest strengths. It isn't the placid calm of a frozen lake that will defeat fear and anger. It's love.”

   “But love is attachment, and attachment leads to the dark side.”

  “It's not love itself that leads to the dark. It's obsession. _Emotion, yet peace. Passion, yet serenity_. We were meant to feel. We've forgotten that and by denying all emotion, we'll destroy ourselves.”

  It looked like Anakin was about to speak, but he noticed Obi-Wan's was asleep. Dropping the part, he moved in front of his mentor. “Master?”

   Registering that somebody was addressing him, Obi-Wan did a slow blink. “Hmm?”

  “Right.”  Anakin took the few steps to the small cooling unit and grabbed some water. Handing it to Obi-Wan, he pulled him out of his chair and pushed him towards his bunk.

  The Jedi grumbled a bit, “Who’s the padawan, and who’s the master here?”

  “Go to bed, Master.”

   Later, Anakin poked his head in to find the water container empty and Obi-Wan asleep atop the bunk.  Anakin did his best to make him comfortable and he sat there watching the face of the man that had been a mentor, brother, friend, partner, half his soul, and finally his enemy. “I did love Padme.”

  Qui Gon answered. “Yes.”

   With a sigh, Anakin answered his own unspoken question. “I forced us to live a lie. I couldn't give up being a Jedi for her.” Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who'd had time to think. While he'd constantly viewed events through the lense of his rage, he'd had moments were he admitted the truth to himself briefly. “I couldn't have what I really wanted, and my marriage was an act of rebellion against the Code. I did love her. Just not enough.”

  ***   ***   ***


	3. Finding a reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shmi is rescued and healing begins

***   ***   ***

   Anakin carefully lowered the ship on Tatooine's surface. Obi-Wan had convinced him that it was best to slip in after cover of dark. He'd wanted to go right away, but his master was adamantly trying to prevent a battle. The three of them followed Anakin's original route to the tent. This time a Tusken raider was inside with Shmi, beating her savagely with a cord of some sort.  Anakin engaged his lightsaber, rushing forward.

  Obi-Wan Force pushed him into the side of the tent and quickly did the same to the tusken. “Kritha, attend to Shmi please.”

  With a nod, the healer moved further in to the tent. Anakin was at her side shortly, supporting his mother's weight as the bindings were removed. “I'm here mom. You're safe.”

  Her voice was raw, but her love was clear. “Ani? Oh, Ani. My son, my grown up son.”

  Anakin's voice was a whisper, “I've missed you.” Tears rolled down his face. He'd spent a lifetime missing her, regretting her death.

   Kritha had been running scans. “We need to move. I don't know how she held on two more weeks.”  She injected Shmi with a hypospray she'd preloaded. “She'll be stable enough for now.”

  Anakin lifted his mother in his arms. She reached up and caressed his face. “Oh, Ani, I'm so proud of you. I love you.”

  Anakin smiled softly. “I love you too, mom.”

  Unfortunately, the Tusken had woken up from where he'd been thrown. In the background, they could hear the shouts. The sounds of a fight had alerted the camp to their presence. Anakin stood, hesitant, torn between protecting his mother and still wanting to kill them all for what they'd done.

  Obi-Wan grabbed his shoulder and shook him gently. “Go. I'll handle this.”

  Looking down at the glowing smile of his mother, he could only imagine how disappointed she'd have been in him if she'd lived the first time around. He couldn't do that to her. He slipped out through the back of the tent, Kritha alongside.

  Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber, purposely drawing attention away from the trio leaving. Another Force push knocked the raider out through the front of the tent, and into those arriving.  A tusken rifle slug screamed past his ear as he ducked. He started deflecting the rifle fire and sent a group of raiders sprawling with the force.

  One rushed him with a blade and Obi-Wan defended. Several fell to his lightsaber as he was forced to protect his own life. He'd hoped to avoid bloodshed this time, but perhaps it was inevitable in some form. At least it wasn't Anakin. He wasn't sure how much blood lust remained from his time as Vader. His control, even as a Padawan, was slim where emotion was concerned.

  Children had woken to the noise, and were huddled in dark corners with their mothers, watching.  He needed to end this and get back to the ship. He found himself flowing into Soresu. Avoiding the slugs flying at him, he dispatched several more raiders with weapons. With a short run, he was amongst those with the rifles and he quickly destroyed the guns. Only one raider opted to charge him. With the flick of a hand, the tusken flew backwards.

  Obi-Wan darted away, still dodging bullets as another raider started firing. He flung a wave of sand up in that direction and took off after the others. He found them not far from the ship and he covered their backs, making sure they hadn't been followed.

  As Anakin and Kritha took the injured woman back to where the bacta tank had been set up, Obi-Wan slipped into the pilot's seat. He warmed up the engine and took them up.  Leaving them in orbit, he slipped back to their small medical area.

  Anakin was in the doorway. His back was to the room to allow his mother privacy while she was treated, but he was listening to everything. Upon seeing Obi-Wan, he motioned towards their rooms. Inside with the door shut, he closed his eyes. “She'll live, though she may bear scars.”

  “You saved her, Anakin.”

  Blue eyes opened and speared him with their intensity. “ _We_ saved her, and don’t think I’ve forgotten that you shoved me out of the way.”

  “I didn’t want you to be involved with fighting them. I’m not sure how much of Vader you still carry.”

    The young Jedi frowned. “Enough of him. I still hate them, Master. They’re animals for what they did to her; for killing her.” He laughed humorlessly. “Did you know that I wiped out another enclave of them years later, just because I hated them so much?”

  “She’s alive Anakin. Your mother's a strong woman. Now that she's survived, she'll be fine. I’m hoping you will be too.”

  “I’m confused, Obi-Wan. I’m horrified by what I became, but I’m still so angry. The Jedi are such hypocrites! They natter on about how I was too old and had attachments, but it makes no sense. There’s precedent for both in the Order, and it was love that redeemed me in the end.”

   Obi-Wan moved closer to Anakin and bumped their shoulders lightly. “It’ll be different this time.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  “I can. We’ve already changed things. Your mother is alive and she’ll be well again soon.”

   “We should tell Cliegg that she's alive.” Anakin shrugged. “I guess this makes him my step-father, doesn't it?”

   “He always was.”

  “I suppose. Good thing he doesn't really have to put up with me. I'm not sure he'd handle it half as well as you have.”

  “Was that a compliment, Anakin?”  You could hear the smile in Obi-Wan's voice.

   He smirked. “Never, Master.”

**“** Do you think we should wait until morning to show up? It's getting late.”

  Obi-Wan radiated warmth along his side and Anakin leaned into it a bit. “No. I'd want to know, if I were him.”

  “All right. We'll let Kritha get your mother cleaned up and situated, and then we'll go.”

 ***   ***   ***

    With a touch, Anakin sent the ship moving in the direction of the Lars homestead. It didn't take long, and soon the ship settled to the sand.

   Lights came on inside despite the hour. Owen ventured out, and Obi-Wan left the ship to greet him. “You must be Owen Lars. I'm Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

  “Is there something we can help you with, sir?”

  Obi-Wan assured the man, “My Padawan is Anakin Skywalker. He and his mother are on board. We just rescued her and she's being treated.”

  “Anakin? Shmi's son? Shmi's alive?!” The young man was overjoyed. His father had been heartbroken. He still hadn't stopped looking.

   “Yes. Gravely injured, but alive.”

  Owen looked back at his house. “Will she be alright?”

  “She will. We have a Jedi healer with us and she assures us that Shmi will be fine in a few days.”

  “Really? She's been gone a while...” They both understood how the tusken raiders treated their victims.

  “We are lucky enough to have not only a skilled healer, but a bacta tank.”

  Owen looked hopeful. “Bacta?”

  Obi-Wan knew why Owen was asking, but he couldn't reveal that knowledge. “Yes. Do you have need of it?”

  “My father...he just lost his leg trying to get my step-mother back. He's not well.”

  “I'm sure Jedi Healer Kritha will be happy to take a look.” Obi-Wan allowed a small smile to cross his face. He knew that Kritha was only holding herself from marching straight into the homestead out of sheer willpower. She understood that she couldn't reveal their vision, or the other life they'd experienced. Without that knowledge, there's no way to explain how she'd know Cliegg was badly injured.

  “Thank you. Thank you so much!”

***   ***   ***


	4. Questions and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi have to answer to the Council

***   ***   ***

Kritha was finally let at Cliegg and declared him almost as bad off as Shmi. She told the Jedi council outright that they would be on Tatooine for at least a week. Shmi needed a couple of days in the tank, at which point Cliegg was going in for more. She wanted to be sure they were stable and well before leaving them.

       Yoda asked to speak to Obi-Wan privately. The Jedi Knight nodded at Anakin's questioning glance. Once everybody was gone, Yoda spoke.  “Wise, this course, do you think it is?”

  Obi-Wan rubbed his face. “Anakin and I are both who we were before our vision, and the men whose lives we lived. I was granted a seat on the council. He was made a Jedi knight. We lived that vision. Our medical scans showed echoes of injuries done to us in that life. It was real to us.”

   “Complicated this is.” His gnarled hands grasped the top of his stick. “Senator Amidala kept safe, she was. Proven, it has, that the vision was true.”

  “Has the second attempt been made yet?”

  “No, but two Jedi are assigned to her.” The old Jedi's ears dropped and his face crinkled in sadness. “Count Dooku. Is it so?”

    “I didn’t believe it either, the first time.  The assassin is Zam Wessell. He’s been hired by a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Fett is working with Dooku.” He thought about the clones currently being trained on Kamino, the clone wars, Order 66, and everything that came after. “It’s huge, Master. This goes deeper than the council could ever imagine.”

  Obi-Wan tried to remember the chain of events clearly. “You may want to consider keeping the second attempt on Senator Amidala’s life secret. Palpatine uses that as an excuse to send her into hiding, preventing her from rallying support opposing the Military Creation act. Her representative was then manipulated into giving Palpatine emergency powers. We absolutely need to prevent that.

   During that attempt on Padme’s life, I chased Wessell and caught him. He was killed with a poison dart before I could interrogate him. That dart led me to a world called Kamino. Two things are really important here. The first is that Kamino has been wiped from the Jedi data banks by Dooku. The second is that a clone army has been created there for the Jedi.”

   Yoda was taken aback. “A clone army? For the Jedi, it is?”

   “There so much that I need to tell you, Master.”  He tried to condense the information that was immediately relevant down. “The clones are all of Jango Fett. We fought on Kamino, but I managed to get a tracking device onto his ship. I followed him to Geonosis where I was captured. Dooku was gathering supporters, and creating a droid army. Anakin and Padme tried to rescue me, and unfortunately were caught. A Jedi force was sent to rescue us, but only twenty of over two hundred survived, Master Yoda. It was the start of what became known as the clone wars”

  “Hmmm. Talk more, we will. Knowing about Dooku, trust we cannot that communication is secure.”

  “I would agree, Master Yoda.” Obi-Wan

   Yoda nodded. “Choose carefully, Obi-Wan. One path may have been altered, but sure the future is not.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  The hologram dropped and Obi-Wan was left in silence. He could feel Anakin just outside the door. He ran his fingers through his beard in thought and realized he'd worn this thing for over thirty years. It had started in an attempt to make himself look old enough to have a Padawan and be taken seriously. Maybe it was time for a change.

 

***   ***   ***

 

  Two days later, Obi-Wan and Anakin stopped into the med area after Shmi deemed ‘presentable’. She looked good, with only two scars still showing on her face. Kritha had given her a bottle. “If you apply this nightly, in time even those will fade.”

   Catching movement, Shmi looked up and noticed the two Jedi. “Ani!” She held her arms out to him and he stepped forward to grab her hands. Not satisfied with that, she pulled him in. “I knew you’d come for me.”

  “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

  She pulled back a little to look at him. “All grown up and so handsome!” She looked at Obi-Wan. “And you! You look just like I remember. Is Master Jinn here as well?”

   Anakin answered, “No, mom. Qui Gon died. Obi-Wan became my Jedi Master.”

  “I’m so sorry. He was a wonderfully kind man.” She looked truly saddened by this news and hugged her son again. “Come. Let’s go see Cliegg before it’s his turn in this thing.”

  She stood up carefully and Anakin steadied her. He scowled a bit at Kritha, “Are you sure she’s ready to be up?”

  Shmi tugged on her son’s arm. “Now stop that. I’m just fine.”

  “She is. Really.” At Anakin’s doubtful look, Kritha smiled. “I promise. Her muscles are just weak from lack of use. She’ll be a bit tired for a few days as her body readjusts, but everything is normal.”

***   ***   ***

  The following days brought Anakin farther and farther from Darth Vader. Spending time with his mother was healing a piece of his soul. Obi-Wan noticed his smiles were more genuine, and his words and manner less sarcastic. He was accepted easily amongst the Lars. Shmi was a truly gentle spirit, and she spread that love and peace to everybody around her.

   It truly pained Obi-Wan when it was time to leave. According to the Code, Anakin would never see his mother again. Shmi pulled him aside, “He’s grown into a wonderful man. Thank you, Obi-Wan. Thank you for caring for my son.”

  After hugging the older Jedi, she grabbed her son and gave one to him as well. “You’ve made me so proud, Ani.” Her hand caressed his cheek. “I know you always will.”

  He kissed her hand. “I’ll try, mom.”

  They all waved goodbye before loading into the ship. Anakin could see his mom watching as they lifted off. He could feel her watching until they disappeared into the sky.

 

***   ***   ***

  Arriving back on Coruscant was decidedly less pleasant than their time on Tatooine. They were met on the landing pad by a Jedi Padawan who gave them the message to immediately head to the council chamber. As soon as they were able, the three of them presented themselves.

  Kritha was asked to detail the trip. She was grilled on topics ranging from Shmi’s rescue to her medical treatment of the Lars.

“Was it necessary to spend so long there?

  “Yes, Master. We only had one portable bacta tank and two critically ill patients. In an ideal situation, I’d have had them both in the bacta for a day or two longer. However, it was impressed on me that time was critical and I took that into consideration without compromising their care.”

   Another voice rang out, “You stated that Padwan Skywalker lead you straight to the tent his mother was being held in. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Did he give you any reason to believe that he knew how to find her through any other means than this…Force…vision?”

   “No, Master.”

    Shaak Ti asked, “Were Jedi Knight Kenobi or Padawan Skywalker able to give you any details prior to the mission that were proven true?”

   “Yes, Master, they did. I asked them about the injuries we’d be dealing with based on their vision. Their ship does not have full medical capacity and I was hoping to get a better idea of what supplies might be most helpful. Padawan Skywalker gave me a brief but concise description of his mother’s injuries. They also told me that Mr. Lars had lost a leg. The injuries they described matched exactly what we found upon arrival.”

    Kritha had only been in the council chamber a few times. She knew most of these people by name and reputation, but wasn’t truly familiar with them. She found it unsettling that a deep schism was being displayed through their questions. It was clear that some of them, despite all evidence, were trying to refute that Skywalker and Kenobi had a true Force vision. It seemed that those who fell on that side were antagonistic to the pair, and that had managed to transfer over to her as well.

Master Yoda spoke for the first time. “Heard of what you found on scans, I did. Explain for us, will you?”

  “Yes, Master Yoda. After their prolonged vision, I requested an examination to be sure they were well. I found what I called ‘echoes’. It was as if an image of a wound was there, but the wound didn’t exist. It became evident that the they corresponded to injuries they received while in the vision. I could read them like a normal injury; detailing probable cause of, how deep, or if it was mortal.”

      When the questioning wound down, she was asked her thoughts on the mission. Kritha politely informed the council that it was a successful mission, and that the pair seemed to be exemplary Jedi. She was thanked for her contribution and dismissed.

***   ***   ***

 

 Obi-Wan knew that if the questioning of Kritha was that rough, their session would be worse. He looked to his side to gauge Anakin’s reaction. Surprisingly, he was at ease. He remained so for the next several hours as they detailed their vision; standing straight, legs apart, arms behind his back, face and answers calm.

  Discussion kept coming back to several main points: Darth Sidius, Dooku (who many on the council still refused to believe was a Sith desciple), the clones, and what to do about Anakin. After a time, the council dismissed them. As they walked away, both Jedi could hear the discussions still being volleyed about.

  Obi-Wan stopped for a moment and looked at his padawan. “Tell me, Anakin, how _did_ you manage not to lose your temper in there?”

  Anakin looked at him briefly and then away. “You don’t lose your temper in front of Darth Sidious if you expect to live.”

   The Jedi Knight watched the younger man walk away. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more: that Sidious trained Anakin to more control than he had ever managed, or that fact that both sides seemed intent on stamping out the spirit that made Anakin so special.


	5. Thrown away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan realizes just how badly the Jedi council wants them out of the picture

***   ***   ***

 

In the days and weeks to come, some things proved immutable. Palpatine was a master at hiding his real identity and plans, and the Jedi had no proof yet to move in on him. They also couldn’t take down Dooku without making him into a separatist martyr. He continued to rally planets to his cause.

  Other things did change. While the Military Creation Act did pass after the separatist army was discovered, Supreme Chancellor Palpatime wasn’t given emergency powers. Instead, control of the clones went the Jedi, since they were the ones who had supposedly commissioned and paid for them. The slaughter on Geonosis never happened.

  The clone wars were still set off when the separatist army, with no more reason to hide, began capturing planets. The Jedi order tried to step back from the confrontation, but political pressure forced them once again into the roles of fighters and generals.

The Jedi council used the war as an excuse to keep Anakin and Obi-Wan far away from Coruscant, Senator Amidala, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. The pair were shipped back and forth from battle to battle with no rest.

  “Master Yoda, please. We can't keep up this up.”

  Yoda's visage crinkled in sadness. “Know this, I do. Yet many on the council believe that we must either end the threat, or do this to keep him away from key players, they do. I cannot sway them. Best option, this is.”

  Obi Wan's couldn’t keep the horror off his face. “End the threat? What exactly do you mean by that?”

   “If the death of one man can save the republic and keep great evil from arising, better might that be. Perhaps right they are. Or perhaps not. Unclear, it is.”

  Obi Wan straightened. “So the council will kill us one way or another? Whether as an outright assassination to avert a future that, by your own words, may never be...or push us from battle to battle until fatigue or injury does us in?”

  The old Jedi master sighed. “Agree, I do not. Do what I can to help.”

  They moved onto other topics, but this weighed heavily on both of them. Obi Wan left the conversation feeling deeply disturbed. Twenty years in the desert hadn’t shaken his faith in the Jedi nearly so much as the last eight months. That the council would seriously consider assassination was so outside what he was raised to believe the Jedi stood for that he could barely wrap his mind around it. That they would assassinate one of their own…

***   ***   ***

     They’d been sent on a mission to investigate possible CIS activity on a pro-Republic planet. There was no sign of confederacy ships or satellites in orbit.

  “Well, that’s a good sign, at least.” Obi-Wan remarked.

  Anakin stared down at the planet. “Something feels…wrong.”

  Obi-Wan extended his senses but picked up nothing. Still, if Anakin said something was wrong, it probably was. Between the two of them, Anakin was most changed by their vision. It was hard for him to see the child his Padawan had once been. In its place was a battle hardened warrior. Eyes of agate looked out from the young face. He wasn’t Vader, but he wasn’t really Anakin anymore either.

  Still, his determination to keep from falling to the Dark side was formidable. The council was well aware of Obi-Wan’s belief that the clone wars had pushed the young man further and further into the dark, yet here they were. However, one thing the council had done was keep them away from the frontlines and the media holovids. Anakin knew what they were doing and shrugged it off.

  Heeding Anakin’s warning, he opted for a cautious approach. They settled the ship well away from the nearest city, and worked their way in with the daily crowds in non-descript clothing. They’d almost made their way to the mercantile district when Anakin slid his glance sideways.

  In a quiet, almost inaudible voice, Obi-Wan responded. “I feel it too.”

  They kept walking like everything was fine, but they were both on high alert. When blaster fire rang out, both Jedi were already running for cover. Puffs of rock and dirt were exploding at their heels as they ran.  “Well, this seems awfully familiar, doesn't it Master?”

   They reached the side of a building, both of them deflecting bolts that got too close. Trying to find cover and assess the situation, they skidded around a corner only to have fire come from that direction as well. Anakin leapt upwards. He caught two shots that would have dropped an awning onto their heads, redirecting one back at the shooter. As he did so, Obi-Wan dove to the side and rolled out of the way as the blaster fire shattered glass above him.  
  
 “Anakin, take the high ground and try to move around behind them. Take out who you can from above.  I'll try to draw their attention and move them away from this area.” People were fleeing from the battle all around them. A quick glance showed him that the panic was injuring more than the actual battle.

   The two split, though Anakin's awareness never fully left his Master.  He was leaping from roof to roof, moving outward when he caught the sense of a very dark presence and imminent danger. He changed direction and sped up.

   Far ahead was a large gap in buildings, and he caught a glimpse Obi-Wan Force leaping.  Multiple blaster bolts came towards him and the older Jedi caught them with his light saber.  He continued deflecting shots as he landed on the roof.  Seemingly out of nowhere a red glow flashed and a lightsaber seared into his side.  Obi-Wan dropped to his knees, his saber still in a defensive position. Ventress stepped into view, twin swords glowing in her hands. “My dear Obi-Wan, that was far too easy. Even for you.”

  “My darling, you know I live to please.” Anakin was almost glad to hear Obi-Wan’s weird banter with Ventress. It meant he was down, but not out. Proving the point, he lurched to his feet. “Shall we continue?”

  “My pleasure.”

  Anakin felt more danger. Before he could shout to warn his master, Ventress slashed her hand through the air. A hail of blaster bolts flew at his Master and the Jedi couldn’t protect himself from all of them.  Several bolts hit him and propelled him backwards off the roof. Obi-Wan plummeted four stories to the ground below.

   Anakin was closing in when Ventress stood on the edge of the roof looking down. “Poor Obi-Wan. Doesn’t know when he’s been betrayed.” With an arrogant salute to Anakin as he neared, she leapt away.

   With her departure, the blasters began firing again. Anakin took a protective stance above Obi-Wan and spun wildly, catching and deflecting the bolts. He sent as many back as he could, and the tactic began to work as the sheer volume of fire dropped.  He force pushed his master under cover and leapt onto the roof. Fire was still coming at him and he put on a surge of speed, leaping feet first and kicking two men. Knowing they were down, he used his momentum to tumble forward and change his direction.

  He moved from spot to spot around Obi-Wan’s prone form, taking out the men shooting at him. He felt one blast clip him in the shoulder and it caused his upper body to torque around. He twisted with the force, rotating in midair, and used the Force to rip the whole roof out from under the man who’d hit him. The whole mass went down, hitting several gun men on the ground. As he landed and rolled, several clay tiles went shooting off to the side and blaster fire ceased from that area.

  He came to his feet, panting with exertion, but still ready. He could feel the rest fleeing. With one last look to be sure it was safe, he powered down his lightsaber and clipped it back on his belt. Under his breath he muttered, “There’s a reason I was a Sith lord, and it wasn’t just because I looked good in black.”

***   ***   ***

 Anakin found himself trying to heal his Master's wounds with no real medical training, outside of the basic stuff all Jedi learned. His time as Darth Vader was spent destroying, not healing. The Dark side really didn’t work well for the gentler arts. _I need to rectify that once we get somewhere with data banks. If we are ever allowed to stay that long_ , he thought bitterly.

 

  Anakin contacted the council to update them and got Master Windu. He was told it wasn’t safe for them to seek medical aid on the planet, and that they weren’t authorized to head back to Coruscant.

 

  “Master Windu, Obi-Wan has serious injuries.” 

 

  “Skywalker, you have your orders.” Master Windu's voice was curt. “You're a trained Jedi. I'm sure you can handle it.”

 

  Anakin kept rigid control of his anger. Despite that, he could feel his hands curling into fists. “He needs a real doctor, Master Windu. I can't...”

 

  “Padawan Skywalker, this is a direct order from the council. You will treat Kenobi. The medical bay of your ship is there for exactly this reason. Head to your newest assignment immediately.”  The holo cut off with a flicker.

 

   A flare of rage slipped out, and  Anakin almost smashed the holo. And stopped. Ruining the communicator would do nothing except upset his Master and cut them off from help. He unclenched his fist and thought. He had been ordered to stay away from Coruscant, but nothing said that he couldn’t contact a potential ally there.

 

***   ***   ***


	6. Defiance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are still some who will stand against the Council for what is right

***   ***   ***

Later he slipped in to check on Obi-Wan. Running gentle hands over his friend, he scanned the damage using the Force. As he did, Anakin sent small amounts of his own energy in to heal the damage.  He'd been doing this every chance he could the last few months, trying to keep his Master in one piece. The injury to Obi-Wans side flared an ugly red to Anakin's senses. With a quick peek to make sure the older man was still asleep, he sent far more energy.

 

  They weren't supposed to share energy at this level. He could care less right now. The council had left him no choice. Obi Wan couldn't continue like this.  He placed his hands near the wound and sent the force flowing in. He watched it pour in and flood the injured area. When that was reduced to a dull glow, he allowed it to soothe the other injuries. Last, he allowed it to lightly merge with Obi Wan's signature and smooth the jagged edges and jangled energies from the immense stress he’d been under.

 

  Anakin strongly suspected the council was trying to kill them, and he was pretty sure Obi-Wan knew. Yet the older man didn’t want to do or say anything that might push Anakin and send him turning back into Darth Vader. Additionally, Obi-Wan’s whole world view centered around the belief that the Jedi Order was good, and that the council’s orders were fundamentally sound. That pillar of his world was crumbling.

 

   Merging their energy signatures was like nothing Anakin had ever felt. The sense of being truly connected was unlike anything he'd ever known. _If this is what it is to be truly one with the Force, I see why Jedi strive to achieve it._ He'd thought Obi Wan's energy would be structured and rigid, but it was warm. So warm. He wanted to wrap it around himself and never leave.

 

  Anikin pulled back reluctantly and immediately had to grab the side of the bed as his vision wobbled. _Perhaps that was a bit much._ He ran another quick scan to be sure that Obi Wan was stable and left.

 

  Obi Wan never reached full consciousness during the healing session, but he'd later remember feeling like he'd been immersed in love.

 

***   ***   ***

  Hours later, a small ship docked with theirs as it waited near a small, barren planetoid.  Kritha climbed through the hatch, took one look at Anakin, and got seriously pissed off. 

  Anakin smirked, “I thought Jedi are always calm.”

 “I will personally tell the council to stick their calm up their asses. If this is what **you** look like, poor Obi-Wan’s probably on death’s door.” She hurried through the ship. “Medical area or bunk?”

  “Medical area.”

  She outright hissed when she saw the Jedi Knight. “Right, he’s moving to my ship. Now. It may be small but it’s a medical transport. It has everything I’ll need, and he needs too much for me to drag it all over here.” She looked around. “No gurney?”

  “It got left on Tattooine for Cliegg, remember?”

  She stared at him. “That was like a year ago. It’s standard to restock after every mission.”

   “They must have missed it.” Anakin knew that they hadn’t. The ship hadn’t been restocked between Tatooine and being sent into the war. They hadn’t been allowed back to Coruscant since. What supplies they could get were garnered by them on each mission.

  The woman stared at him, sensing the lie. “I’m letting this go for now because treating the pair of you is more important. I think I’m getting a much clearer picture of why you contacted me the way you did. Now, go get the gurney from my ship.”

  “I can carry him.”

   “You’re lucky I’m allowing you to carry a gurney with that shoulder.” She looked harder at him. “And leg.”

  Anakin smiled at her manner. “Yes, Jedi Healer Kritha.” He bowed and headed off.  She only shook her head and went back to task.

 

***   ***   ***

   Obi-Wan had been moved, stripped, cleaned, and thoroughly examined.  Kritha could both see and sense multiple smaller injuries in various stages of healing. “The most severe injuries are a lightsaber wound through the left side and two blaster hits. No major organs damaged luckily, but potentially fatal.” Anakin’s face never changed but she felt his alarm spike. “If untreated. Relax. You saved his life, you know.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

   She pointed at him. “It’s clumsy and overpowered, like using a speeder to kill a fly. No finesse. But still, you saved his life. He’d have died before I could get here, of shock if nothing else. Only so much a body can handle.”

  They got him set up and slowly lowered him into the tube of bacta. Then she turned on the young man before her. “Strip.”

  “What?!”

  “I’m a healer. I’ve seen everything you’ve got, kid. Now strip to your underwear so I can examine you and treat your injuries.”

  Reluctantly he did as she asked. With both eyes and the Force, she carefully cataloged Anakin’s injuries. She finally applied bacta patched to the spots where Anakin was grazed by the blasters, gave him a bacta hypospray to give the rest of his system some help After that he sent him off to get sleep.

   With both patients resting, she had work to do.

 

***   ***   ***

  

  “The treatment of these two Jedi is unconscionable! They’ve been seeing battle non-stop with no down time, untreated injuries, no resupply, and no support whatsoever.”

  Master Billaba spoke, “That cannot be true, Healer. Surely you are mistaken.”

  Kritha tapped her pad and an image rose up for all to see. It was Obi-wan and Anakin’s mission logs. She pointed out dates and places. “In the last nine months these two haven’t been back to the temple for a break once. You can clearly see that they have been literally sent from one mission to the next.”

  She let the Jedi council take a good look. 

  “They are an effective team and we’re spread thin with the war. They were sent where they were needed.”

  “Without even resupplying, Master Windu?” She tapped and a new scan rose up. “When I went to treat their injuries, there wasn’t even a gurney. There hadn’t been one since their mission to Tatooine. I checked the supply log. Not a single re-supply in ten months. Not one. Not even food. They’ve been using what little funds they have to buy what they need.”

  The torgruta Master spoke, “We’ll rectify that, and ensure all of our teams are kept properly stocked with what they need.”

  “What about their medical needs?”

  The Jedi Master seemed slightly puzzled. “Have they been injured?”

     Another tap and the rotating image of a generic human body began revolving in the air. With another tap, it displayed multiple wounds. “This one on the side, the upper torso, and right arm are from a week ago. Without **professional** medical treatment they would have been fatal.” Kritha looked right at Master Windu when she said that. Then she moved on. “This spray pattern on the left hip was caused by shrapnel approximately eight weeks ago.  Serious enough to have hampered movement and fighting ability on the mission they were sent on the next day.

   “That red blotch on the head? Two concussions. One from a force blow that slammed Master Kenobi into a wall about three months ago. The other from the same explosion that gave him the shrapnel wounds.  Easily treated, but the cumulative damage is severe when it’s not. It can affect memory, mood, and our ability to use the force.”

  She then pointed at the myriad of small marks all over the place. “Small wounds really, especially when treated properly, but which they couldn’t do because they **didn’t have the supplies or support**!”

  Master Gallia got out of her seat and examined the hologram. “Why didn’t they notify the council during check ins?”

  “They did.”

  As she was looking at the Master in front of her, another voice called out. “No. We would have recalled them, or sent a medical team to them for treatment.”

  With a firm thump, she hit another button. The pad began playing a voice transmission:

   “Master Windu, Obi-Wan has serious injuries.” 

 

  “Skywalker, you have your orders. You're a trained Jedi. I'm sure you can handle it.”

 

  “He needs a real doctor, Master Windu. I can't...”

 

  “Padawan Skywalker, this is a direct order from the council. You will treat Kenobi. The medical bay of your ship is there for exactly this reason. Head to your newest assignment immediately.” 

  Several council members were staring at Master Windu. Others were looking away. Kritha took note of those. The Jedi Master defended himself, “I felt he was exaggerating the extent of Obi-Wan’s injuries.”

  With a twisted smile she scrolled past several recordings and hit play on another one:

  “Anakin was hit by Force lightening, Master. His heart had stopped and he had to be revived.”

  Windu’s deep voice was clear, “But he seems fine now?”

  “He does, but he should be treated. I’m requesting we go to the nearest Jedi Healer or Medicorp station to have him checked out.”

  “No, Obi-Wan. We need you in Tatooine. We’ve been hearing rumors, and you’re both familiar with that area.”

  The recording ended.

   “Is Master Obi-Wan prone to exaggerating, Master?”

  “Where did you get those?”

 “Every Jedi ship records communications, even the most private ones, for security reasons. As a Healer, I have the authority to access them.”

The militant Jedi leaned back and crossed his legs. “What would you have us do?”

  Kritha looked at each council member, staring especially hard at those who had looked away. “What I’ve done is given all of this information to the Healer’s Circle so that they are aware of this situation. What I am strongly urging you to do, especially if you plan on continuing to push them this hard, is to  provide them with their own bacta tank, some advanced medical training, and plenty of supplies. Either that or have a medic trailing them about.” 

    When one of the Jedi Masters argued that the ship was too small, she replied succinctly, “Then give them a bigger ship.”

   “They don't need their own personal tank. They are ordinary Jedi.”

   “I know what injuries they’ve received in the last year. I have some idea of what they face in the future. I say they need this level of support.”

   “If the vision was real, and if your scans are correct, it still doesn’t justify what you are recommending.”

  Kritha took a deep breath. “Let me lay it out for you how I see it. These two had a day long Force vision in this very room, witnessed by all present. After coming out of it, they clearly had knowledge of the future. It is my understanding that the information from that vision has proven true so far. As a fully trained Jedi Healer, my scans revealed wounds that while not present in their current bodies, directly related to injuries they took while in vision.

  “It seems pretty straightforward to me that both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker are not only powerful in the Force, but that the Force is moving directly through them. Therefore, it is in our best interests to help them to the best of our ability. As a healer, that means making sure that they have access to the medical care they will need.”

   “They will be treated as any other Master and Padawan.”

  “They are **not** being treated as such. I took a cursory look of all Jedi teams in the field. This is the only one who has routinely been pushed so hard without resupply or back up. It’s certainly the only team who has been refused medical care outright. If need be, I’ll have myself personally assigned to them.”

  “Would you defy the will of the council?”

 Her gaze hardened as she looked at the assembled masters. “You forget that I’m a consular. I didn’t just study healing, I studied history. I’m well aware that being a Master or a council member doesn’t make you infallible. I can cite plenty of examples throughout our history.” Kritha looked at them all. “I think the Force showed us what it wants. It wants these two taken care of, and I intend to see it done.”

  Master Windu folded his hands and leaned back. “Is this a personal prerogative, or is this the will of the Force?”

  Kritha took a moment to center herself and concentrate. Totally sure of her response she answered, “Both, Master.”

  The venerable Master nodded. “Very well. May the Force be with you.”

  Sensing the dismissal in his words, she bowed to the council.  What she hadn’t told them was that she hadn’t just sent copies to the Healer’s Council. Technically that fell under the Jedi council’s authority as well. She also sent packets ready to go to Senator Padme Amidala and Senator Bail Organa, if all else failed. She’d heard enough to know that both would be protective of Obi-Wan, if not Anakin.

 

***   ***   ***


	7. Choices and consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The choices of both lives, and their consequences, weigh heavily on the Jedi

***   ***   ***

    One long night, Anakin pulled up a senate discussion. He’d avoided anything to do with Padme, but he’d heard about this speech. He pulled up the video of her debate.

  There was a flicker in the Force, and he knew he wasn’t alone anymore. Qui Gon watched the vid with him, and he spoke out loud. “I’d forgotten just how powerful a speaker she is.”

 “You miss her.”  

  “I’ve missed her every day for the last twenty years.”

   “Do you think about trying again?  It might turn out differently now. So much has been changed.”

  Anakin watched the intelligent and brilliant woman in the vid. “I was too selfish to realize that I was hurting her. I brought her nothing but pain and death. I miss her, but I can’t do that to her again.”

   Qui Gon smiled. They watched the debate into the early hours of the morning, listening to the fierce Senator from Naboo passionately speak.

 

***   ***  ***

   

 “Hold still, Master!”  
  
 “I'm fine.” Obiwan tried again to close his tunic. This time Anakin pulled it open quickly and yanked it down his arm before he could protest.

  The Jedi Master couldn't hold back the small moan of pain when the movement tore at his wound. “Well, if you'd just cooperated, I wouldn't have had to do that.”  Anakin looked up at his mentor through his lashes as he was bent over the tray. Realizing that he'd caused Obi-Wan real pain he straightened quickly. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.”

  “I know. It's ok.”

  The young man nodded and went back to opening up antiseptic wipes and bacta pads. If he sent a bit too much healing energy to Obi-Wan as he worked, neither said anything.

 

***   ***   ***

 

    It took all his vaunted Jedi control not to curse. His partner was alive, but barely.  Anakin had fallen and was badly hurt.  The Jedi Master had no idea where the nearest medical center was and he couldn't take him there if he wanted to. This wasn't exactly a world friendly to the Republic, as evidenced by their welcome wagon. He was afraid to even move Anakin in this state.

 He hadn’t shown the same level of skill with healing that Anakin had, and the techniques to heal this were well beyond him. He tried anyway. His mind skimmed quickly over the medical lessons. Drawing on the Force, he tried to follow those as best as he could remember. It wasn't working. More blood was pooling in Anakin's brain and he was going into shock.

  He had one thing left to try. He knew what Anakin had done to save him, and as a consequence could feel a bond tightening between them. It’s why it was forbidden. It was possible to create a Force bond that could not be broken. A bond so strong that death would claim both if one fell.

    He weighed this decision. Even of this didn’t cement the bond he could feel hovering between them, it was breaking code. After his rebellious youth, he’d lived by that code for all the years of his life. It was the cornerstone his world was built on.

  He closed his eyes and reached out to the Force. His world had been shattered in a vision, and his belief in the infallibility of the Order had been shaken to its core. He wasn’t entirely sure what was right anymore, but he knew that this was _Anakin_. This was the Jedi who had fallen, and yet had done everything possible to prevent that disaster. This was the man who had defied the council to save him. This was his friend and his partner.

  Qui Gon Jinn’s voice came to him, speaking quietly. “You already know the answer, my friend.”

 Decision made, Obi-Wan recalled how it felt when Anakin had done this; the feeling of being surrounded by love had registered even in his semi-unconscious state. With a deep breath he simply let go and let the Force take over. 

***   ***   ***

 

Anakin woke with a groan. _Sith, I'm sore._

  “ _You're lucky you aren't dead. What happened to the plan, Anakin? You never listen.”_

  “ _I listen, Master.  I just come up with better ideas.”_

  Obi-Wan spoke aloud this time. “Ideas like dying in a dingy alley on some no name planet on the rim?”  

  “I'm obviously not dead.” He rubbed a sore spot on his head and was surprised to come away with blood. “Definitely not dead if I'm bleeding.”

  “You came closer than you know.”

  The strange thing was that Anakin could feel Obiwan's system pumping with adrenalin. The older man's relief and fear were a tangible thing to him. It took him a moment to realize that their conversation had started... “ _Obi-Wan?”_

  “ _Yes, Anakin. We_ are _hearing each other’s thoughts. A side effect of the healing. Do you mind overly much?”_

    Anakin thought about it. “ _Honestly? No. Not really.”_

   Obi-Wan switched back to verbal communication. “For some reason you decided to make a target out of yourself and fell about forty feet. Onto your head.”

  “I have a hard head, Master. I've been reminded enough times.”

   Obi-Wan's voice was soft. “Not hard enough, Anakin. Not nearly hard enough.”

  The young man took stock and ran a Force scan on himself. He could visibly see his clothing was burned on his shoulder, but there was no indicator of an injury. Obi-Wan had mentioned landing on his head but he only found traces of a what looked like a very old injury. Yet there was blood on his hand, and he ached like he'd been trampled by a herd of banthas.

  His thoughts were interrupted by shouts in the distance. Obi-wan smiled, eyes warm. “Come on.” He pulled Anakin up. “We can talk more about this later. I think it's a good idea if we leave.”

  “Great idea.”

 

***   ***   ***

     Force sensitive children had been taken, and Anakin remembered  his first trip to Mustafar. So much had happened in their vision that not every incident or detail had been relayed. Obi-Wan contacted the Council and let them know about Bane.

  That planet brought up a lot of memories for both of them. Through the bond, they each felt it.  The new connection had solidified to a degree, but it was like some very strong Master-Padawan bonds. Despite how close they had been in many ways and how strong Anakin was in the Force, they hadn’t had a deep one. Obi-Wan was pretty sure it was because he had started out jealous of Anakin, deeply grieving for his master, and just not ready to let anyone that far in.

  “Did you mean what you said on Mustafar?”

  Obi-Wan looked at Anakin, surprised. “What?”

  Anakin had always had intensity about him. It was something that Obi-Wan tried to soften but had never managed. That was focused on him like a laser.  “Did you mean what you said?”

  Force help him, but Obi-Wan knew exactly what he was talking about. The original clone wars had changed everything. It had forged them into two halves of one whole. He'd told Anakin that he was like a brother, but they weren’t. They were more than brothers. More than friends.*

  “My world ended the day you became Vader. The Jedi known as Obi-Wan died right along with Anakin Skywalker. Our lives were too entwined for it to be any other way.”

  Anakin’s gave a small smile. He dipped his head in acceptance, then released Obi-Wan’s gaze to check the controls.


	8. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Palpatine seeks out Anakin and realizes something is very different

***   ***   ***

They were on Naboo for resupply. It had been timed by the council carefully to ensure that Senator Amidala was on Coruscant. Obi-Wan was in the city itself taking care of relaying messages, while Anakin was overseeing refueling and minor repairs.

  In the life Anakin had lived as Vader, it had been decades since Sidious had cloaked his presence. He’d been good at it. Good enough to hide right under the Jedi’s noses, so he supposed he ought to forgive himself for being caught off guard.

  “Ah! Young Skywalker, such a fortuitous meeting! It’s been so long since we last saw each other.”

   Anakin sent out a message to Obi-Wan, “ _Master, Palpatine is here_.” Turning with what he hoped was an appropriate facial expression, “Chancellor, it’s been a while. I’m surprised to see you here.”

  “Well. You know the life of a politician; sometimes delicate matters have to be handled personally.”

  “I wouldn’t know, myself. Obi-Wan is far better suited for that than I am.”

  Darth Sidious’s benign smile faded to puzzlement, but then his tone sharpened. “Something is different about you, it seems.”

  Anakin knew that tone. “ _He knows something is wrong_.”  

   Obi-Wan had already headed back to the landing pad, but those words lent speed to his feet. He used his communicator to send a message to be relayed to the council, “Palpatine is on Naboo and has made contact.”

   “Yes.” The fond paternal act had dropped. “I know my mark, and you carry it. Yet, this cannot be so.” He reached an aged had and touched Anakin’s arm, and the Jedi fought to keep from jerking away.

  Anakin acted confused. “I’m not sure what you mean, Chancellor.”

  “Tsk.” The man’s hand tightened into a vice on his arm. “You’re right, you wouldn’t make a good politician”

   Darth Sidious flung Anakin away, sending him crashing into a ship “I’m not sure how this is, but the conclusion is obvious. You bear my stamp on your soul, yet you don’t stand by my side. That makes you a threat, boy.”

  He shot force lightning, but Anakin had recovered and sprung out of the way.   The hum of their weapons filled the air, and blue sparked against red repeatedly. “I can see you have some skill. I evidently taught you well. With more time, I can make you even better.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Unfortunate.” Sidous lept through the air, spinning as he flew. Anakin ducked down, then came up with a thrust that almost caught Palpatine. The Sith managed to parry, and sending the Jedi’s lightsaber skittering away.

   Trying to distract Palpatine, he sent the refueling hose slithering up from behind and binding his arms. The man quickly sliced through, but it bought Anakin time to grab his lightsaber. “You can’t fight against me and win.”

  “I did once.” Anakin pelted Sidious with flying objects, then lept forward.

  The sith lord chuckled darkly as he stopped the young Jedi in midair with the Force. “It’s quite intriguing. You are two people at once. Even so, you will lose!” Anakin’s airway was cut off by the force choke, once his own signature move. Instead of focusing on his own greying vision, he yanked a nearby ship into the Chancellor.

   He dropped to the ground, gasping, as the hold was broken.  He sucked in air and tried to stand, but was unable to. He watched Obi-Wan run into the landing area, take in the situation with a glance, and begin to circle around to him.  

  Palpatine extricated himself from the jumble of ship wreckage and wall. “Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ah. I see.”

  “I’m not sure you do, Sidious.” He continued moving across the hangar, always facing the sith Lord. When Palpatine shot lightening from his hands, Obi-Wan caught it with his saber. He stumbled a bit at the sheer power, but kept going.

  “Oh, but I do. Long have I kept my eye on young Skywalker here. Oh yes, and I know what lengths he will go to in order to keep you alive!”   While he’d been talking, he’d been loosening the supports of the flight tower. Now he brought the whole thing down, pinning Obi-Wan underneath.

  Palpatine advanced on the trapped Jedi. “I’ll spare him, Skywalker. I’ll make you my new apprentice and in return, Kenobi gets to live. It’s a generous offer, don’t you think?”

  “No!” Anakin struggled to stand, and leapt between Obi-Wan and Palpatine, catching the descending light saber in time. 

  Having anticipated this move, the Sith Lord immediately flung Anakin away.  With Obi-Wan trapped, he stalked forward and grabbed the dazed padawan. With one hand on each side of the young man’s head, he began to rip into his mind. Palpatine wanted to know why it felt like Skywalker had lived two lives, and he wanted to control the power this boy wielded.

  His voice slithered inside Anakin’s head, “ _I can see you were once mine, and you will be again_.”  Anakin fought, and the harder he fought, the deeper Sidious wormed his way in. “ _Give up, boy. I see it all, and you’ll bow to me_! _I’ll have you kill Dooku to cement your place , and we’ll rule together._ ”

   Anakin felt his will fading, felt Vader being dragged to the fore. He thought of the people he loved and wanted to protect; his mother, Padme, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan. He couldn’t fail them. He couldn’t. He reached through his bond, “ _Master, help me_!”

   Obi-Wan reached back, responding to that desperate plea. He opened himself up fully, holding nothing back and he gave it all to Anakin: the years of having each other’s backs, dripping in each other’s blood as they tended their wounds, pride in the man Anakin had become, amazement at the strength and level of sacrifice he’d shown this time around, but most of all love.

   Genuine love was the antithesis of the darkness. It was the Light in perfection, and the Order had forgotten that.

   Their energy signatures blended together in that shining moment, and two truly became one. It sent a flare through the Force so bright that the remnants of Darth Vader ceased to exist. It was so pure it practically burned Darth Sidious as he cried out in agony.

     The Force guided Anakin’s hand. Without even conscious thought he brought the top of his lightsaber to Palpatine’s chest. With a hum, it pierced the Sith Lord’s heart. Palpatine looked down, almost surprised to see himself impaled, and then he fell as the lightsaber turned back off. He whispered, “This is not done.”

  “Oh, you mean your clones on Byss?” Anakin tried not to revel in the look of shock on Sidious’s face. “Already taken care of.”

  With a last burbling breath, the Sith Lord died. Anakin knew that even without the clones, Sidious had other means to come back to life, but it was good enough for now. The Republic was still standing, the Jedi were still strong, and Padme was still alive.

   Anakin felt shredded inside and out, but he began to drag himself over to Obi-Wan. His master was limp and unconscious under the bulk of the control tower.  Shaking and sweating, he lifted the tower off of the Jedi and swung it to the side. Judging it to be far enough over, he released it. The impact rattled his teeth.

  He carefully assessed Obi-Wan’s injuries. He was relieved to note that his Master had managed to protect his vital areas. Nothing was immediately life threatening. Anakin dragged them back against the nearest wall, pulled Obi-Wan close, and waited.

 

***   ***   ***

  It didn’t take long for security to start showing up. There was some shouting and confusion, though that died quickly when they realized they were trying to detain two Jedi; one of whom was conscious, had a lightsaber, and knew how to use it.

  It was a relief when Masters Windu and Yoda arrived. Proving he wasn’t as bad at politics as he pretended, Anakin gave the Jedi the proof they needed. “Darth Sidious is dead.” He pointed at the crumpled body, face ravaged by the dark forces he had once channeled. “It was Chancellor Palpatine, Masters.”

  The people surrounding them exploded in shock.

  “Grave news, this is.”

     Anakin responded, “ Count Dooku is his apprentice.”

     Yoda was solemn. “Tell you this, did he?”

  “Yes, Master. He wanted me to become his new apprentice, by killing the old one; Count Dooku.”

   Master Windu spoke into his communicator. “I need a team assembled to retrieve Count Dooku. Do not move in until I arrive.”

  A tinny voice responded, “Affirmative.”

  The stern Jedi gazed on the broken body of Darth Sidous before turning to Anakin. He nodded solemnly at the padawan, then turned and headed out.

  


	9. Beginnings in every ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin wonders about his place in the Jedi order

***   ***   ***

   The hardest part of the next few days was the never ending meetings. Anakin had to testify in front of the Jedi Council, the Galactic Senate, at various investigative panels, for the media, and random people wanting a piece of the story.

  He was also dealing with a council that while grateful for his defeat of Darth Sidous, was still wary of him. Making it worse was the discovery that Dooku still had supporters within the Order and they had been feeding him information; information that had turned up when they dug through Palpatine and Dooku’s files .

  Obi-Wan was still in recovery. One leg had been badly crushed and he had a severe case of Force exhaustion. He had quite literally given Anakin everything he had. Once he was out of the bacta, Kritha was going to let Anakin try to fix the second problem. He was quite sure he could, but the Healer didn’t want him “tinkering around” with things just yet.

   Explaining their Force Bond to the council was a lively experience.  He’d gotten some of the “it’s an attachment and this against code” directives that he’d been anticipating. What he hadn’t expected was the “this is our opportunity to fully document such a bond.” It took a fair amount of willpower not to slowly back out of the chamber, grab Obi-Wan, and run away. 

  It was decided that by defeating A Sith Lord, Anakin had proven himself ready to become a Jedi Knight. They were waiting for Obi-Wan to be well enough to attend the ceremony. Moreover, due to their bond, they would be declared a permanent team. That was decided by a majority vote of the council, with a few vehement dissenters.

***   ***   ***

  Anakin had been leaving the Senate floor when he heard a door open from the chambers. “Ani?”

  He turned and bowed. “Senator Amidala.”

    “You’ve known me since you were nine, Ani. Please, it’s Padme.”

  He smiled softly. “Padme, then. It’s good to see you.  You’re looking well.”

   “And look at you. All grown up. I think I’ll always see that little boy when I look at you.” Her eyes were bright and her face open. “It seems like so long ago now.”

    “A lifetime.”

  Padme laughed. “Not that long, but I suppose it must feel that way.”  Her face sobered. “I wanted to ask how Obi-Wan is.”

  “He’s healing. I’m sure he’d love to see you in a few days, once he’s up and about again.”

  “I’d like that.” She reached out and touched his arm. “Thank you for what you did. It’s so hard to believe: Chancellor Palpatine a Sith Lord.”

  “He had everybody fooled, even the Jedi.”

  “Yes.”

  An aid stuck their head out an called out, “Senator, we need you back on here!”

  With a fond shake of her head at the now closing door, she turned to her old friend. “I have to go. It was great seeing you, Ani.”

  “And you, Padme. May the Force be with you.”

  He watched her head back in to the Senate chambers in a swirl of robes and full of life. He couldn’t regret choosing a different path this time, not seeing her so happy. She practically radiated light, and he’d dimmed that long before he’d snuffed it out completely.

 

***   ***   ***

   Obi-Wan dripped bacta as he was pulled from the tank. As soon as the mask was off he frowned, “Ugh. I never really have gotten used to the taste.”

   “Stop complaining, Kenobi. Go shower and get dressed, would you? Your padawan is itching to get his hands on you.”

  Obi-Wan wondered if Kritha meant the double entendre or not, but decided to take the high road and not mention it. He reached out through the bond and got a flash of pain through his head. The healer smacked him. “None of that. Worst case of Force exhaustion I’ve ever seen. Go shower.”

  The Jedi healer made sure Obi-Wan was steady and sent a message off to Anakin. By the time Obi-Wan was done, Anakin was waiting. “So how many times does this make it now? Fourteen?”

  “I keep telling you, Caito Nemoidia doesn’t count.”

  “Sure it doesn’t. You keep telling yourself that.” Anakin’s eyes glinted with humor and mischief. It warmed Obi-wan to see that side of him.

  “So Kritha tells me that you’ve been ‘itching to get your hands on me’.”

  Anakin glanced up at the laughing healer and actually blushed. Shaking his head he explained, “I think I can fix your Force exhaustion without you having to spend weeks or months meditating.”

  “Well, that would certainly be helpful.”

  Anakin looked to Kritha for permission to start, since she wanted to carefully monitor the process. She gave the go ahead and he grabbed Obi-Wans hands. Since Obi-Wan’s internal Force channels were raw and depleted, he figured he’d need the physical connection to get things started. Once he was healed enough, Anakin would probably be able to continue through their bond alone.

  Obi-Wan could feel the Force pouring into him. It felt good until his head started to hurt. Kritha ordered, “Slow it down, Anakin. Think gentle flow, not raging ocean.” Abruptly the pain stopped. “Excellent. I may teach you some finesse yet!”

   He began feeling a tentative tug on the bond. Anakin’s voice was almost a whisper, “ _Master?_ ”

  “ _Yes, Anakin_.”

  He could feel his padawan’s relief and his mental voice sounded more normal, “ _Is this okay_?”

  “ _Perfectly fine_.”

    Slowly and then picking up pace, more Force began flowing into him from both Anakin’s hands and through their bond. The energy seemed to reach a tipping point, and from one moment to the next began flowing back in forth between the two Jedi. Their skin began to glow, and they radiated such a sense of completeness that the entire temple could feel it. They sunk into each other and into the Force so deeply that they never noticed Kritha slip out.

***   ***   ***

     Anakin spent the day before his knighting ceremony in meditation in the tranquility spire, as was traditional.

  “You’re supposed to be thinking upon your future path as a Jedi.”

  “I’m not sure where I go from here, Master Jinn.”

   The wise Jedi sat down in front of Anakin. “The Sith may be gone, but they’ve left a legacy of pain and evil that might take years to unravel.”

   “That’s true.” He contemplated something. “I think I wonder why I’m even staying. The council is so afraid of us they tried to get us killed.”

  “Do you want to stay a Jedi?”

   The answer was surprisingly quick. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Anakin huffed a little. “Do you want the Jedi answer?”

  Qui Gon folded his hands into his sleeves. “I want the real answer.”

  “Because of Obi-Wan. The Order is his life. He still wants to believe, Qui Gon. He still wants to believe that we stand for justice and peace, and that the council has our best interests at heart. I wish it did, but I think it’s as broken as the Republic.”

  “Yet you changed everything to protect the Order.”

  “Not just the Order. But there are good Jedi here. There are people here worth protecting, even if I think the council is stagnant and corrupt.”

  “A good enough reason to become a Jedi Knight, to protect others.”

    “Yeah, maybe.” The padawan looked into Qui-Gon’s eyes. “He misses you. It’s still an ache inside him.”

 “And you?”

  “I miss you too.” He waved at the ghost. “It’s not exactly the same.”

  “No, but I’m exactly where I need to be.”

  “I am too.” He said that with a certainty that until that moment he hadn’t felt, but was still true. He was where he needed to be.


End file.
